The first recorded miracle of Jesus is in John 2:1-11. Jesus’ mother, Mary, became aware that the groom’s family had run out of wine for the wedding feast. She turned to Jesus for help and he instructed the servants to fill six pots full of water and then give a drink to the master of ceremonies.
Having tasted the contents of the water pots, the man in charge called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Jesus never did anything second class. He did not turn water into cheap wine; he turned it into the best wine. I started to say, “the best wine money could buy,” but then I realized this wine was so good, money could not buy it. Jesus’ wine is never for sale; it always comes as a free gift to the undeserving.
Not only is the quality of this wine notable, but also the quantity. The story explicitly says that there were six jars holding 20 to 30 gallons each, which were filled to the brim. So, Jesus made 120 to 180 gallons of the highest quantity wine. That would be about 600 to 900 bottles of wine, much-much more than was needed. The wine is the grace of God, and there is more than enough of the good stuff to go around.
Quality and extravagance always marked Jesus’ miracles. Once, Jesus put mud in a blind man’s eyes and prayed for him (Mark 8:22-25). Then, Jesus asked him if he could see. The man reported he could see, but not clearly, for he saw men like trees walking.
Jesus could have said, “Well, buddy, that’s a lot better than before I prayed for you, walk in the light that you have,” but that isn’t what happened. Jesus prayed for him again, and the man then reported 20/20 vision. Jesus does not want just a better life for us; he wants us to have God’s very best.
Another time, Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 families (Matthew 14:14-21). He did not give them just a little snack to tide them over until they could get home, he fed them “until they were full.” Every appetite was satisfied, and the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers — one basket for each disciple. God’s grace is always abundant.
On one occasion, the disciples got hungry while waiting for Jesus, so they went fishing in the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14). They labored all night with their tummies grumbling with hunger but caught nothing. At dawn, someone called out to them from the shore and told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.
The disciples were skeptical but complied. John reports that they caught 153 large fish, not just small fry. They were huge fish, and many more fish than a few fishermen could eat for breakfast, no matter how hungry they were.
How hungry are you? Do you long for the very best life possible? Do you need the gift of God in your life? If you do, then give yourself to Jesus and a “good portion — packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing — will fall into your lap” (Luke 6:38).
To the degree you give yourself to Jesus, he will bless you in return and his grace will fill your life to overflowing. “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7). Jesus is not a miser. He wants to bless your socks off. He wants to change you from the inside out. He desires to pour out upon you his greatest blessings. He wants to give you 180 gallons of wine, 153 huge fish, and 12 baskets overflowing with the best leftovers you can imagine.
When I visited a man on death row this summer during a Kairos prison ministry event, he expressed to me that he was totally unworthy of salvation because he had led a horrible life. For confidentiality reasons, I won’t tell you his exact words, but he certainly felt God could not and would not bless him because of his depravity.
However, God’s grace and salvation is not dependent upon our worthiness; it is dependent upon what Jesus did on the cross. He gave himself not for the deserving, but for the un-deserving. He loves the lost sheep, the wayward sons and daughters, the rejects, and the worthless. All who call out to him in faith will be the recipients of his saving and extravagant grace.
The thief on the cross expressed faith in Jesus as he was dying, and Jesus promised him he would be with him in Paradise that very day. I believe my friend on death row made a deathbed confession of faith, believing in the sufficiency of Jesus’ love and grace. Someday soon, we shall both be praising God together before the throne of God. God’s grace is out of this world extravagant. It will save us, rescue us, and give us life.
Dr. Dan Darby is a retired United Methodist pastor.
